Ajax to close portion of Audley Road for summer

Work needed prior to 2015 Pan Am Games

Ajax Town Hall

AJAX -- A section of Audley Road will be closed all summer for reconstruction.

Ajax is rebuilding the road in advance of the thousands of people expected for the Pan Am Games in 2015. The Town is hosting the men’s and women’s baseball and softball competitions at the Sportsplex, at the southeast corner of Audley and Taunton roads.

Ranil Fernando, the capital projects co-ordinator for Ajax, told council on Monday that the section between Rossland and Taunton roads will be closed during the construction. Access to the Audley Recreation Centre adjacent to the Sportsplex will be maintained, he added.

Closing the road will reduce construction costs and the time needed to do the work, Mr. Fernando noted.

Work will start in June and is expected to take until October, he said.

On Monday, council approved awarding the almost $3.3-million contract to Elirpa Construction.

One issue for councillors was the CPR train tracks which run east-west roughly halfway between Rossland and Taunton. An overpass over the CPR tracks will cost about $5 million and isn’t planned for about 10 years, Mr. Fernando noted.

As trains cross Audley, the whistles are sounded for safety measures and that has upset residents living nearby. A report to council stated staff supports the whistles being sounded.

Ward 2 local Councillor Renrick Ashby noted residents have been complaining about the train whistle being sounded and he questioned why staff was recommending the whistle continue to be blown.

Mr. Fernando said it’s a safety and liability issue.

“It’s not in the Town’s best interest to take on the liability issue by taking away the whistle,” he noted, adding the Town would also have to undertake a safety review if the whistle were eliminated.

Paul Allore, Ajax’s director of planning and development services, said a bridge over the tracks “is way out there” in terms of when it will be built.

“There are many other projects that are more important to the Town in terms of connectivity and moving people,” he said.

For motorists to reach the ARC, they will most likely have to travel through the neighbouring subdivision, Mr. Fernando said, adding Durham Region Transit buses will be re-routed during the construction.

(2) Comment

By Kevin|MAY 29, 2014 10:19 AM

How does this make sense? In 10 years, this bridge will probably cost double. Even if they fix the horrible roads, this will not help in traffic. Those CP trains pass Audley frequently and at times can take 10+ minutes to pass. Horrible planning to not build a bridge, even if it is 1 lane with supports for future expansion. Many new sub divisions have added these bridges with future widening supports in place.

Yet another set of residents who do not research where they are buying their homes. The railroad has been there for over 100 years, the residents a lot less amount of time. It was on the map when you bought the house, you could have drove around the area to check it out, etc. The bells and whistles are there to protect your family and neighbours. If you don't like them, MOVE. Heaven forbid they stop blowing the whistles and your kid gets hurt, it would be all over the media about how there's no whistles protecting families. Train whistles and bells are necessary, period.